Wouldn't It Be Nice...

Wouldn't it be nice if Bill Parcells stopped using ESPN as a year-long way station between NFL gigs?

Wouldn't it be nice to see long-time Channel 4 weekend man and ace reporter Wally Bruckner come out of semi-retirement and make a comeback on local television?

Wouldn't it be nice to see Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer actually come clean on Fox's NFL pre-game show and told us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth on their roguish recruiting of big-time college football players back in the day? I'd still love to know how Dexter Manley played three years for Johnson at Oklahoma State, and left Stillwater unable to read.

Wouldn't it be nice to salute Washingtonian James Brown, now back on CBS, for being the classiest act in network sports?

Wouldn't it be nice to salute long-time producer/director Ernie Baur, now at Comcast SportsNet, for his wizardry in the control room, and for giving so much back to all those off- and on-camera people he trained so well for so many years?

Wouldn't it be nice if Bill Belichick stood in front of a camera, any camera, and told a national television audience what Spygate was really all about? And then apologized.

Wouldn't it be nice if the upcoming steroid hearings on Capitol Hill were blacked out, the better to keep preening members of Congress from shamelessly pandering to the cameras?

Wouldn't it be nice if ESPN's insufferable Chris Berman went back to doing sportscasts on local television in Connecticut? Talk about an over-exposed guy becoming a parody of himself.

Wouldn't it be nice to wish one and all -- yes, even you Berman -- a joyous Christmas, happy holiday and healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year?

Leonard Shapiro can be reached at Badgerlen@hotmail.com or Badgerlen@aol.com.